Number 26
by NotYetLostFaith
Summary: Ziva is about to jump in at the deep end and be gone forever. Does Tony have the bottle to stop it before it's all too late? More information inside. T because I'm paranoid.


Author's Note-Okay, so I may be more than a little tempted to write a one shot for every item on Tony's season 9 bucket list. If I end up doing that, I will probably make it into one story-albeit a series of one shots-so if I decide to do more, I shall let you know of the change, for now, here's this nice little heart-warmer. Enjoy. NYLF xx

* * *

A frantic knocking at her door drew Ziva out from the bathroom of her suite, slipping her second tear drop earring into her ear as she made her way to the door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" She shouted when the knocking only got louder. She opened the door to find Tony, in his shirt, jacket and tie, all complete with button hole, but he was wearing jeans instead of his dress slacks. "Tony, why are you only half dressed?" But he wasn't paying attention to her words any more.

"Oh Ziva." He breathed gently. "You look, beautiful." She stood before him in her gorgeous a line wedding dress. The stark ivory white set off her skin tone in such a way that made her sparkle almost as much as the diamonds on her bodice. He remembered the day she'd seen that dress for the first time, her whole face had lit up and the smile stayed for days afterwards. He smiled sadly at her as she started to fiddle nervously at one of the loose curls that framed her face while the rest of her hair was pinned up in an intricate bun.

"Tony?" She asked quietly, nervously. "Why are you here? I am getting married in fifteen minutes, the entire wedding party is downstairs, which by the way, as part of it, is where you should be." Between the two of them they had quite a wedding party; Gibbs was to walk her down the aisle, of course there had been no contest; Ray's brother, Ian, was his best man; Abby was her maid of honour, which she was ridiculously proud to be; and they had agreed, seeing as Ziva didn't have anyone she wanted to be her bride's maids, Tony and McGee would be her equivalent. "You're supposed to be down stairs waiting with everyone else, no one is supposed to see me until Abby come in ten minutes." He could hear the panic in her voice, she had gotten so stressed over making this perfect, he hated to ruin this for her.

"I…Can I come in?" She nodded apprehensively and stood aside so he could enter the hotel's bridal suite. He chuckled at the vanity she'd covered with all of her jars and bottles she'd insisted enhanced her beauty. "Listen, Zi."

"Don't." She begged him quietly. "Please." She sat down on the bed with a thump, closing her eyes in a vain effort to keep the tears at bay. "You're going to say that you can't be there. Aren't you?" It wasn't really a question. He quickly knelt before her and took her right hand in his, noticing for the first time just how small it was in his. He gently twirled her engagement ring that she'd swapped hands for the ceremony with. "Please." She choked. "I can't not have you there."

"I can't watch you get married to him Ziva. I can't, please don't ask me to." She shook her head.

"I can't marry him without you there Tony. It wouldn't be right." He squeezed her hand until she opened her watery eyes to look at him.

"Hey." He gently caught an escaped tear with his thumb as he comforted her. "You can do this without me Zi." She shook her head at him again.

"I don't want to." Her voice was barely audible.

"You don't want to marry him without me there?" When she didn't move the penny dropped and he pressed to the heart of the issue. "Or you just don't want to marry him?" She sobbed and crumbled in on herself, covering her face from him with her hands and pulling her knees up to her chest. "Oh Ziva." He stood and sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her onto his.

"I thought I could do this, I thought it was what I wanted but…" She shook her head against him and sobbed. He pressed a lingering kiss to her head. "I can't face him Tony, I cannot go down there and tell the team, his family, that I can't marry him."

"The team will understand Ziva. I promise. As of his family." He scoffed. "If you're not marrying him you don't have anything to do with them anymore." His tone was jokey but it only provoked more tears as her shoulders shook beneath his arm. "Oh Honey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it worse. I'll just shut up."

"Takemehome." She mumbled. He was silent as he tried to work out what she had said. He finally got it and looked down at her in shock.

"Are you sure? You really wanna spend your wedding day sat on your couch with me?" She looked up at him, tears in her eyes, mascara lines running down her cheeks, and something clicked in him. He loved her with all his heart and always would.

"I…would _gladly_…spend the _rest of my life. _With you, Anthony DiNozzo." He ever so slowly, pressed a butterfly light kiss to her lips before pulling her close and letting her sob on his shoulder. They just sat there, for several minutes, until he felt her sigh and melt gently into his warm embrace.

"Come on." He urged, getting up and pulling her with him. "I'm taking you home." She didn't say a word. He took her hand and gently pulled her from the room, out of the hotel, and into his car. He sent a quick text before kissing her once more and starting the engine.

* * *

In the main function room that had been all decked out for their light blue and silver winter wonderland wedding, Abby, McGee and Gibbs all stood anxiously at the beginning of the aisle, just out of sight, waiting for the moment when Abby would go retrieve their blushing bride. Abby's phone pinged from when she'd tucked it into her garter and, while both men beside her averted their eyes, she removed it and opened the text she'd just received. She shook her head with a smile.

"What is it Abs?" Gibbs asked somewhat impatiently. She chuckled in disbelief before turning the cell to McGee, knowing full well that Gibbs wouldn't be able to read it.

"I guess sometimes, the timing is so wrong it's right. Number twenty six. Wedding's off." The trio smiled, thanking every one they could think of that they'd seen the light before it was too late.

* * *

So, while Abby discretely walked down the aisle to tell ray that his 'beloved' wouldn't be arriving, while Gibbs and McGee did their own little versions of happy dances in the wings, while ray had a breakdown and swore revenge on the man that stole his bride, Tony and Ziva snuggled up on the sofa in their comfy clothes and watched a movie that was 'anything that doesn't include anything wedding-y'. With her head in his lap and him stroking her hair with one hand, the other firmly clasped in hers, life had never felt more perfect.


End file.
